Overview
a journey along the coast of sicily including maratea, the “city of 44 churches”, its mediterranean sea and its dream beaches. all before a stop in messina, the gem of the island.
Itinerary
Your Itinerary
MARATEA & ROME
Your journey begins with a private transfer from your hotel or airport to the exclusive La Dolce Vita Lounge at Roma Ostiense, where you are welcomed with elegance and calm, the perfect prelude to boarding La Dolce Vita Orient Express.Departing Rome in the morning, settle into your cabin as the Italian countryside unfolds.
At midday, the Restaurant Car invites you to a gourmet lunch crafted by three-Michelin-starred Chef Heinz Beck, a celebration of Italy’s vibrant culinary heritage with seasonal and locally sourced ingredients.In the afternoon, the train arrives in Maratea, the “Pearl of Basilicata,” perched between the Tyrrhenian Sea and verdant mountains.
TAORMINA
Awaken to the gentle rhythm of the train and the aroma of a freshly prepared Italian breakfast, served in your cabin or in the Restaurant Car. The morning is yours to enjoy the tranquility of the journey as the train continues south.In the afternoon, witness a truly unique experience as the train is decoupled and loaded onto a ferry to cross the Strait of Messina, a spectacle that merges engineering with scenic beauty.
Once in Sicily, the train continues to Taormina, a jewel of the island where ancient theatres and panoramic views enchant the senses.
PALERMO
The final morning begins with a leisurely Italian breakfast in your cabin or in the Restaurant Car as the train approaches Palermo. Upon arrival, disembark into a city of rich contrasts, where ancient landmarks, vibrant markets, and a tapestry of cultures await exploration. Though the journey comes to a close, its memories linger: the landscapes, the flavors, and the gentle rhythm of the rails have revealed Sicily in an unforgettable, intimate way.
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Terms & Conditions
Booking & Payment
- Deposit: 30% of the total tour cost is due at the time of booking. The deposit is non-refundable.
- Final payment: the balance is due no later than 125 days before departure.
- Bookings made within 125 days of departure are payable in full at the time of booking.
- Fares are per person. Your written confirmation shows the exact amounts and due dates.
Cancellation
- 125 days or more before departure: 30% of the total tour cost (the deposit)
- Less than 125 days before departure: 100% of the total tour cost
Changes
- Date change: free of charge, subject to availability, when requested 125 days or more before departure; after that, a fee of 15% of the total tour cost applies.
- Cabin upgrade: only the fare difference between cabin categories applies.
- Cabin downgrade or passenger name correction: free of charge up to 35 days before departure; within 35 days, EUR 500 per change.
Changes or cancellation by the train operator
If the train operator cancels or materially changes a departure, you will be offered a new date or an amended booking, a credit toward a future journey, or a refund of the amounts paid.
All cancellation, change, or update requests must be submitted in writing by email to travel@palacetours.com. A request takes effect only once we have received and processed it, and we will confirm the outcome to you in writing. Timeframes are calculated by reference to local time and business days at the destination; a request received outside business hours is treated as received on the next business day.
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance, including cancellation cover, from the moment you pay your deposit. For information on available plans, please visit www.palacetours.com/insurance.
Inclusions & Exclusions
Included
- Accommodation on board in your selected cabin category
- All meals on board - breakfast, lunch and dinner with menus curated by three-Michelin-starred Chef Heinz Beck
- Selected beverages on board, including wines paired with meals
- Off-train excursions and experiences as described in the itinerary
- Live entertainment in the Bar Car
- Dedicated cabin steward service
Not included
- Travel to the departure city and from the arrival city
- Personal expenses and gratuities
- Travel insurance
- Anything not expressly listed in the itinerary
Accommodations
On board La Dolce Vita Orient Express
The train was designed by the Milan studio Dimorestudio, with interiors that celebrate 20th-century Italian design and draw on Gio Ponti, Nanda Vigo, Gae Aulenti and Osvaldo Borsani. It has 12 Deluxe Cabins, 18 Suites and one La Dolce Vita Suite, a restaurant curated by three-Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck, and a Bar Car with live music.
Cabins
Deluxe Cabin
- 7 m² (75 sq ft), for two guests
- A sofa by day that unfolds into a 140 x 190 cm double bed at night
- Private en-suite bathroom
- Cool colours, mirrored back walls and a wooden-slat ceiling; the ottomans double as coffee tables and stools
Suite
- 11 m² (118 sq ft), for two guests
- A 140 x 190 cm bed, with a separate sofa and a table with two armchairs for entertaining
- Private en-suite bathroom
La Dolce Vita Suite
The train has one La Dolce Vita Suite, its largest. Ask us about availability.
Frequently Asked Questions & Tips
It is a 3-day, 2-night journey with both nights spent on board in your cabin. You depart Rome in the morning, call at Maratea on the coast of Basilicata, cross to Sicily for Taormina, and disembark in Palermo on the third morning. The full routing is Rome - Maratea - Taormina - Palermo.
Your journey starts with a private transfer from your hotel or the airport to the La Dolce Vita Lounge inside Roma Ostiense station, where you are welcomed before boarding. The train leaves Rome in the morning and a gourmet lunch is served in the Restaurant Car as the Italian countryside passes the window. In the afternoon you reach Maratea, where local assistants meet you on the platform.
Maratea is known as the Pearl of Basilicata, a small town set between the Tyrrhenian Sea and green mountains on Italy's southern coast. It is famous for its churches, its clifftop setting and the beaches below. The stop gives you an afternoon in a place most rail travellers never see, with local assistants on hand to help you explore.
Yes. On the second afternoon the carriages are uncoupled and rolled onto a ferry to cross the Strait of Messina, then reassembled on the Sicilian side. It is one of the most talked-about moments of the journey and one of the very few places in the world where a luxury train travels by sea. You can watch the crossing from the ferry deck.
Taormina sits high above Sicily's eastern coast and is celebrated for its ancient theatre, its views over the Ionian Sea and its elegant streets. Local assistants welcome you on arrival and you are free to explore at your own pace or choose from curated a la carte experiences covering the town's history, art and food. You rejoin the train in the evening for dinner on board.
On the final morning a leisurely Italian breakfast is served in your cabin or in the Restaurant Car as the train approaches Palermo. You disembark into a city of markets, cathedrals and layered Arab, Norman and Baroque history. Many guests add a night or two in Palermo before flying home, and we are happy to help you plan that.
Two categories are offered on this itinerary: the Deluxe Cabin and the Cabin Suite. The train carries 12 Deluxe cabins, 18 Suites and the signature La Dolce Vita Suite, with interiors inspired by Italian design of the 1960s. Availability by category for each departure is shown on this page.
Fares start from EUR 7,880 per person based on two people sharing a cabin. The rate varies by cabin category and departure date, and the exact fare for each departure is shown on this page. All meals, selected beverages and the off-train experiences described in the itinerary are already part of that fare.
Yes, solo travellers are welcome and a single-occupancy fare applies. Because a cabin sold to one guest is taken out of double inventory, the single rate is higher than the per-person sharing rate; it is shown for each departure on this page. Contact us and we will confirm the single fare and availability for the date you want.
The fare covers accommodation on board in your chosen cabin category, all meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner - with menus curated by three-Michelin-starred Chef Heinz Beck, and selected beverages on board. It also includes the off-train excursions and experiences described in the itinerary, live entertainment in the Bar Car and a dedicated cabin steward.
Travel to Rome and onward travel from Palermo are not included, nor are personal expenses, gratuities or travel insurance. Optional a la carte experiences chosen locally are charged separately. In short, anything not expressly listed in the itinerary is not part of the fare.
Yes, every meal on board is included: breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menus are curated by three-Michelin-starred Chef Heinz Beck and built around seasonal, locally sourced ingredients that echo the regions the train passes through. Breakfast can be served in your cabin or in the Restaurant Car, and dietary requirements can be arranged if you tell us in advance.
The Bar Car is the social heart of the train, with live music playing into the night and the mood of Italy's golden age of travel. Selected beverages are included, and it is where guests gather before dinner and stay on afterwards. It is relaxed rather than formal, and entirely optional if you prefer a quiet evening in your cabin.
A deposit of 30 percent of the tour price confirms your cabin and is non-refundable. The balance is due 125 days before departure, and bookings made within 125 days of departure are payable in full at the time of booking. Your written confirmation shows the exact amounts and the dates they fall due.
Yes. Children under 5 travel at the child1 rate and children aged 5 up to 12 at the child2 rate, with the age counted at the date of departure. Children share the cabin with accompanying adults, so the cabin category you choose sets the space available. Tell us the children's ages and we will quote the exact family total.
Departures run through the 2027 season, with the first on 20 May 2027 and the last on 5 October 2027. Ten departures are currently loaded and every one of them is listed on this page with its own fare. Cabins on this train are limited, so popular dates close early.
Flights are not included, so you arrange your own arrival into Rome and your departure from Palermo. Most international guests fly into Rome Fiumicino and out of Palermo's airport, which has good connections to Rome and other European hubs. A private transfer from your Rome hotel or airport to the La Dolce Vita Lounge is part of the journey.
The journey itself is gentle, but Maratea, Taormina and Palermo all involve walking on cobbled streets and some slopes, since these are historic hillside and seaside towns. There is no strenuous activity, and you can always stay on board or take things slowly with your local assistant. Let us know about mobility needs and we will flag them ahead of your departure.
Both, depending on what you want. Local assistants meet the train and accompany you into town, after which you can explore freely or pick from curated a la carte experiences that go deeper into the history, art and food of each place. The a la carte options are booked and paid for separately from the journey fare.
Email travel@palacetours.com, call 786-408-0610 or message us on WhatsApp at https://wa.me/17864080610, where a travel specialist or our AI assistant will reply. Every departure listed on this page can be booked directly online. If you prefer, we can hold a cabin while you arrange your flights.
Extend your journey
You can add days in Rome before the train and in Palermo and western Sicily after it. Here are three suggested lengths:
- 4 days: 2 days before the train and 2 days after
- 5 days: 2 days before and 3 days after
- 6 days: 3 days before and 3 days after
Before the train: Rome
- Day 1: Arrive in Rome and transfer privately to your hotel. In the evening, walk to Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain.
- Day 2: Visit the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica with a private guide, then spend the afternoon at the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.
- Day 3 (6-day option): See the Borghese Gallery in the morning, then spend the afternoon and evening in Trastevere.
- The next morning, transfer to the station to board La Dolce Vita Orient Express.
After the train: Palermo and western Sicily
- Day 1: Transfer to your hotel in Palermo. In the evening, stroll the old town and try Palermo's street food.
- Day 2: See the Norman Palace and the Palatine Chapel, then visit the golden mosaics of Monreale Cathedral.
- Day 3 (5- and 6-day options): Spend a day at the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- The next day, transfer to the airport or your onward train.
We arrange the hotels, private transfers and guides around your train dates, and we can change any day to suit you. Prices are on request, and we have special offers on add-ons for this journey.
To request an extension, send us the enquiry form on this page and tell us which option you would like, or call 800-724-5120 (toll-free in the US) or +1 786-408-0610 from outside the US. You can also message us on WhatsApp at +1 786-408-0610.
Media Gallery
La Dolce Vita Orient Express: From Rome to Sicily
La Dolce Vita Orient Express: From Rome to Sicily
La Dolce Vita Orient Express: From Rome to Sicily
La Dolce Vita Orient Express: From Rome to Sicily
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From $8,835 per person (double occupancy, USD) — live dates and rates are in the Book This Tour section above.
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